Microscopic model for the nonlinear behavior of high- k metal-insulator-metal capacitors

• Published in: Journal of applied physics Vol. 103; no. 10; pp. 104103 - 104103-5
• Main Authors: Wenger, Ch, Lupina, G., Lukosius, M., Seifarth, O., Müssig, H.-J., Pasko, S., Lohe, Ch
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Institute of Physics 15.05.2008
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.2919573

The achievement of sufficient capacitance-voltage linearity in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors with high permittivity (high- k ) dielectrics is still a challenge, as the origin of the nonlinear behavior is still unclear. Based on fundamental physical mechanisms, such as electrostriction, Coulomb interaction between electrodes, and nonlinear optical effects, a microscopic model, which describes the nonlinearities in capacitance-voltage characteristics of high- k MIM capacitors, will be presented. The extended model, which includes stacked high- k dielectrics and interfacial layers, is able to predict the quadratic voltage capacitance coefficients as a function of the dielectric constant. The calculated coefficients are in suitable agreement with the experimental values of Al 2 O 3 -, Y 2 O 3 -, HfO 2 -, and Pr 2 Ti 2 O 7 -based MIM capacitors.